The Werewolf of New York: A Supernatural Law Book

  I’m a big supporter of Kickstarter. Let me take that back- I love the idea behind Kickstarter. I’ve yet to ever donate any money to anyone’s projects.

  For those in the ‘no’ Kickstarter is a web site were people who have a project, be it a book, piece of art, a film, or restaurant, that they’d like to do but lack the funds to get starter. These dreamers put together a business plan in hopes of intriguing potential investors. If the project is fully funded, then as repayment, the hopeful entrepreneurs will offer rewards that could range from an autographed CD all the way to a fully catered banquet for you and forty of your friends. The size of the reward is in regards to the amount of money you donate. I think all projects must start with a $1 donation but can go for thousands of dollars.

  I mention all of this because the book I am reviewing came to be thanks to a Kickstarter project. The Werewolf of New York is the latest book in the Supernatural Law series. The brain child of Batton Lash, Supernatural Law follows the law firm of Wolff and Byrd and their high-profile law firm that only takes on cases of the macabre. In this, the first ever graphic novel featuring the team, a reformed werewolf is allowed parole only if he undergoes rehab to rid himself of his monthly urge to howl at the moon.

  Standing in the young man’s way is a group of pro-werewolf activists who feel that such legal judgments are unjust. Wolff and Byrd seem to have the man on the road to recovery when sightings of a mad wolfman begin suddenly. Has our paroled wolf fallen back off the wagon or is this groups of ‘pricks’, that have taken a strange interest in his affliction, behind these new attacks? (I use the word pricks only as it’s an inside joke used to describe the protesters often based on an anagram of their name- not as an insult.)

  I’ve been a fan of Wolff and Byrd for years. Their adventures are bizarre, funny, and actually very technical in a legal sense. Artist and Writer Batton Lash has a very clean style of art and it make look familiar to you. Thanks because Lash has been a frequent contributor to Archie Comics for decades. Here’s my only problem with his art- it’s inconsistent in terms of character renderings. Look at the cover- the werewolf looks super creepy (that’s good), the female, Wolff, looks like a stunning 80s bombshell (that’s good, too), while the guy, Byrd, is all round and dumpy like a fat Reggie (that’s not good!)

  Some characters possess a stylized quality shown in some of the best horror comics of the 70s. Yet ever once and a while, Lash slips in a character that food some reason looks like one of the Archie gang. Why can’t the characters be all gothic looking or all residents of Riverdale?

  When it comes to plotting and storytelling, Lash is top notch and I really have no complaints there. He is known to overuse a joke to the point of near exhaustion. But that can be overlooked as even the characters themselves seem to know that fact. Finding Supernatural Law books is hard to do. It’s an Indy title and a web comic, something I did not know until I read the afterword (or was it the preface?)

I got lucky to find this on the new arrivals shelf of a used book story for literally a song. But now that I know how to get my hands on more material frequently (and in its intended format) I’ll be a frequenting the Supernatural Law web page for here on out. And don’t worry; I haven’t given up on paper comics- a web comic is supposed to be on the web (though it doesn’t hurt to put them to paper.) Plus the web comics’ medium is a great way for aspiring comic artists and writers to get their material out there in hopes of attracting a crowd and maybe a publisher in a more economical fashion. Batton Lash, being a user of Kickstarter understands this. He used his web page to promote this book as well as achieve funding through Kickstarter. Lash understands that a comic is meant for paper. Sadly, the economy makes this fact very hard for the little guy. So, support web comics, folks and hopefully one day they’ll end up where they belong- on the shelf or in the long boxes of your comic book collection.

Worth Consuming.

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.